Vol. 208 No. 1
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware that county roads have deteriorated seriously following the severe weather of the spring of 1963; and if in view of this he will consider giving substantial county road grants for County Meath in 1964-65.
48.
asked the Minister for Local Government when he intends to notify local authorities of the amount of road grants for 1964-65.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 48 together.
The 1964/65 scheme of Road Fund grants is at present under consideration in my Department. The allocations will be notified to the road authorities at an early date. In the meantime I am not in a position to give details of the allocations to be made available to particular counties.
With regard to Question No. 47, is the Minister aware that county Meath being the only county that had 100 per cent dust-free roads last year, got no county road grant and that they are in the peculiar position that while other counties were able to avail of the county road grant to have their county roads repaired after damage by frost last year, county Meath was not able to do so? Will the Minister indicate whether he will consider giving a special grant this year in order to make up for that?
I am not at all in agreement with the Deputy that Meath is the only county that has been in this position last year, nor am I convinced that there are any good reasons which should weigh with me to change the process this year in regard to Meath or any other county that has a 100 per cent dust-free road system.
Is the Minister aware that in answer to a question the week before last, he indicated that Meath was the only county with 100 per cent dust-free roads and will he not agree that there were circumstances affecting Meath which did not affect any other county? Is he further aware that the estimates meeting for striking the rate occurs about this time and without knowing the amount of the Road Fund grant, it is extremely difficult for local authorities to estimate correctly the amount of money they have to make available?
As far as the county roads grant to Meath is concerned, they should have no difficulty at the moment.
Would the Minister explain what exactly he means by that?
If the Deputy thinks about it, it will be quite clear to him.
The year before last, County Meath got £98,000 as a county road grant. Last year they got nothing at all. I want to know will they get any money this year.
They got all the money they could spend the year before last.
That was an arterial road grant.
They got all the money they could spend. In fact, they had £40,000 unspent a year ago because they were not in a position to use it.
The Minister is talking a lot of cod. The arterial road grant was passed for the county but it can only be used after the Department sanction the plan. Is the Minister not aware that the Department have so far refused to sanction six separate plans? If he continues to do that, it is no wonder that Meath will have money which they will not be able to use.
Surely the Deputy is not suggesting that road improvement grants should be used for maintenance?
The Deputy is not suggesting that the Department should spend as much money in Meath as they do in Donegal because he knows we will not get it.
They did not spend it when they got it.
The Minister is talking about arterial road grants.
I am talking about money.
